What makes bodies attractive tend to be shared by men and women across cultural divides.
Having long and shapely arms is more attractive for a woman than having long legs, psychological research finds.
The study had both men and women rating videos of 96 different models.
The results showed that the most attractive women were young, tall and with long arms.
Having a narrow waists, relative to height, was also considered more attractive.
Professor Robert Brooks, who led the study, said:
“Physical attractiveness is an important determining factor for evolutionary, social and economic success.
The dimensions of someone’s body can tell observers if that person is suitable as a potential mate, a long term partner or perhaps the threat they pose as a sexual competitor.”
The study used judges from both Australia and Hong Kong.
Professor Brooks said:
“Our results showed consistent attractiveness ratings by men and women and by Hong Kong Chinese and Australian raters, suggesting considerable cross cultural consistency.
In part this may be due to shared media experiences.
Nonetheless when models are stripped of their most obvious racial and cultural features, the features that make bodies attractive tend to be shared by men and women across cultural divides.”
The study was published in the Journal of Evolutionary Biology (Brooks et al., 2010).
